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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rash · lean · branch · row · bulb · straw · staff · tube

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. branch — a division
  3. lean — thin
  4. row — a line
  5. tube — the underground
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. rash — hasty
  8. tube — a container
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. staff — employees
  11. bulb — for light
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. staff — a stick
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. row — to paddle
  17. rash — a series
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. bulb — for light
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. staff — employees
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. lean — to bend

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com